Pneumatic retinopexy for retinal detachment occurring after prior scleral buckle or pars plana vitrectomy

To report outcomes of pneumatic retinopexy (PR) for retinal detachment (RD) occurring after prior scleral buckling surgery (SB) or pars plana vitrectomy (PPV).

Single-center study evaluating all patients treated between January 2000 and March 2013.

Ten eyes underwent PR after prior SB. Nine of these 10 eyes had persistent subretinal fluid posterior to the buckle in the setting of an open break on the scleral buckle. The mean time to PR in these cases was 8.5 days after SB. PR achieved anatomic reattachment in eight of 10 eyes, but two of 10 eyes required additional PPV to achieve retinal reattachment. Seven eyes underwent PR after prior PPV. The average time to RD after PPV was 67 days (range: 15-232 days). The location of the break was superior in four eyes, horizontal in two, and inferior in one. Anatomic reattachment with PR alone occurred in four of seven eyes (57%).

In the setting of recurrent RD after initial SB, pneumatic retinopexy was usually successful in the early postoperative course. In the setting of a new-onset RD after PPV, pneumatic retinopexy was a useful option, but recurrent RD was more common.